EndSARS Protesters Disown Sowore, Want Federal Govt To Arrest Him

November 6, 2020

The EndSARS protesters have disowned the RevolutionNow convener and publisher of SaharaReporters online newspaper, Omoyele Sowore in his attempt to reawaken the EndSTARS protest, saying that he is doing it with selfish intention and in furtherance of his earlier failed revolution.

The Protesters, in a statement today, November 6, in Abuja, insisted that Sowore, having breached the conditions of the bail granted him following his RevolutionNow campaign, “must not only be immediately arrested but also have his bail revoked.”

The statement was signed by Dr. Orji Nwakocha for southeast; Dr. Aremu Babatunde for southwest; Comrade Frank Jaja representing South-South and Alhaji Ibrahim Dan Iya for North West. Others are Sheik Mohammed Adamu for North East; Mr. Dakwohi Samson for FCT and Comrade Peter Yohana for North Central.

The group insisted that the renewed protest being spearheaded by Sowore was not known to them, restating that they had since backed down from their protests but were already meeting with governments at all levels at the roundtable.

The group appealed to parents “to advise their wards against allowing themselves to be misled by Mr. Sowore”, who is accused of attempting to hijack the #EndSARS platform to deliberately blackmail President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.

According to the Genuine #EndSARS Protesters, “Sowore’s clandestine motive is to feather his own nest.”

They noted with concern the insistence of Mr. Sowore to go on the protest when all those that started the #EndSARS protests had not only backed down but are also meeting with governments towards resolving issues that informed the action, tasking security agencies to see Sowore as a threat to national security and immediately treat him like one.

The statement read in part: “the Genuine #EndSARS Protesters, being the body of the real people that protested recently against the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS’ excessive powers and brutality, have been watching with concern the attempt by one Mr. Omoyele Sowore to hijack our platform to further his inordinate ambition.

“We feel concerned that after we backed down from the protests and are now engaging governments at all levels with a view to resolving the issues that informed the protest, the said Mr. Sowore is busy assembling some misguided elements using our platform.

“We are, however, not surprised at Mr. Sowore’s insistence on protest given his antecedent. We recall that he had called on revolution against the present federal administration, leading to his arrest and detention. And given his ignoble role in this act, we are not surprised at what he is driving at. It is in this regard that we wish to strongly appeal to the security agencies to see Mr. Sowore as a security threat and treat him like one.

“By this, we are not only calling on his arrest but also appealing to the federal authorities to immediately arrest and withdraw his bail conditions for flouting the conditions attached to it,” the group said in the statement.

The group added: “It may be further recalled that, owing to the entrenchment of democratic tenets under the current administration, which adheres strictly to the principle of rule of law, institutional independence and non-interference, the court graciously granted Sowore bail, with conditions attached therein. One such condition was a restriction on addressing public gatherings until the criminal trial was concluded.

“In his characteristic disobedience to law and properly constituted authorities, Sowore has continued to observe that aspect of his bail conditions in the breach. We have taken the pain of articulating these points, to show to the world who this man truly is, as a prelude to the obvious attempt to hijack a worthy cause initiated by patriotic youths with genuine agitations.

“Having said this, we wish to unequivocally call on the security agencies to immediately arrest and detain Mr. Omoyele Sowore for investigation.

Drawing attention to the event at the National Assembly gate where the youths assembled by Mr. Sowore to protest against the government under the guise of #EndSARS were dispersed, the group commended Nigeria police for the action.

“His desperate attempts to relaunch the #EndSARS protests, which have since been rested by the original promoters, to allow action from governments at the various levels is unacceptable.”

The group, however, tasked the police to go a step further in not only dispersing the youths but by arresting them including their leader, Omoyele Sowore for onward prosecution over breach of public peace and attempt to incite the civil populace against President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.

“The attempt by Mr. Omoyele Sowore to hijack our platform to incite the civil populace against President Buhari and his government just to feather his inordinate ambition is unacceptable.

“We are thereby calling on not just the police but also other security agencies to see M. Sowore as an agent of destabilisation and pick him up appropriately for investigation.”

While drawing attention to the events of Friday, November 5, and Sunday, November 1, 2020, in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where a few persons were seen protesting under the auspices of the #EndSARS protest, the Genuine #EndSARS protesters said the developments were indications of a selfish agenda being hatch by Sowore for a predetermined end.

Recall that the said protesters – with Sowore assuming a prominent place, had besieged the precincts of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, as well as the Force Headquarters – where they left the “#EndSARS” inscription boldly on the roads.

This development has, however, triggered an angry reaction from the original promoters of #EndSARS protests, who have called on the youths in the country, to disregard the revivalist agenda.

According to the group, the need for citizens to give governments at all levels the chance to address the concerns that necessitated the EndSARS demonstrations had become compelling, more so that commitments had already been made.

It said that the antecedents of Sowore, who had led a failed “revolution” attempt, could not inspire meaningful followership, hence the need to disown him.

“We make bold to say that, considering the aftermath of the nationwide protests – as seen in the hijack by hoodlums and attendant deaths, destruction of public and private property, no responsible citizen would want to re-ignite the event.

“Clearly, this move, to all intent and purposes is manifestly tendentious, overtly self-serving, and anything but altruistic.

“It is designed to further his selfish agenda of blackmailing the federal government, and we completely dissociate ourselves from this move by a man seen in many instances as a meddlesome interloper, who seeks to hijack noble causes, for premeditated ends.

“We hereby call on millions of our articulate, ever-conscious and responsible youths across the 36 states of the federation, and the FCT, to resist this latest antics by Sowore, as it will not only threaten the relative peace being enjoyed today but disturb the socio-economic fabric of a nation negotiating recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

2020 CBN Senior Tennis Tourney Kicks-Off In Abuja, 5 Months Behind Schedule

Editorial staff

November 6, 2020

The 2020 edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-sponsored Senior Open Tennis Championship kicked-off today, November 6, at the Tennis Complex of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

This year’s competition, which is holding five months behind schedule, due to the global impact of coronavirus pandemic, is expected to attract over 250 players, with the duo of Sylvester Emmanuel and Oyinlomo Quadri, leading the men’s and women’s seeds, respectively.

Speaking to newsmen today, November 5, in Abuja, the Acting Director in the Corporate Communications Department of the apex bank, Osita Nwanisobi, pledged the bank’s commitment to the sponsorship of the tournament, which is in its 42^nd year, saying that the objective of the Tennis Championship is to ensure that young talents are given a veritable platform to represent the nation at international tennis tournaments.

According to him, the CBN recognized the critical role of the youth in nation building, hence it was doing all within the limits of its mandate to encourage the empowerment of the Nigerian youth. He therefore urged youth in the country to take advantage of all the intervention programmes of the Bank to enhance the quality of their lives as well as contribute to the economic prosperity of Nigeria.

He tasked participants at the competition to take opportunity of the Championship to exhibit their talents, with a view to showcasing them at tournaments locally and internationally.

Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Tennis Federation (NTF), Engineer Dayo Akindoju, said that in line with the COVID-19 protocols put in place by the Nigerian Government, the number of spectators at the one-week tournament will be restricted in order to check any possible spread of the virus in Nigeria.

He said that there is an upward review in the prize money for the preliminary rounds, adding that participants will slug it out for honours in the men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, wheelchair men’s singles, and wheelchair women’s singles categories.

Winners of in the men’s and women’s singles categories are expected to go home N700,000 each, while runners-up will each receive the sum of N350,000. Winners in the men’s and women’s wheel-chair categories are to receive the sum of N250,000 each, just as the winners in the doubles categories are expected to receive N220,000.

The finals of the competition come up on November 14.

EndSARS Protest: Buhari Thanks Traditional Rulers For Role Played To Calm Down The Situation

Editorial staff

November 5, 2020

Present Muhammadu Buhari has thanked the traditional rulers for the role they played to calm down the youth with wisdom and authority during the EndSARS protests that snowballed into destructive riots in parts of the country.

“I want to once again thank you for the role you all have played to calm down our youth with wisdom and authority. By instilling hope and keeping the peace, you have rendered the country great service.”

President Buhari, who spoke today, November 7 when he received in audience, some traditional rulers from warner. warned warning: “we cannot allow anybody or group to threaten the peace or sabotage these efforts.”

The President restated that strong, transparent efforts are underway to address those rogue elements of the Nigerian Police Force. Simultaneously, the Nigerian Police Force will also undergo much needed reform that covers welfare, working conditions, and code of conduct. That will usher in a more professional workforce.”

He recognise the primary and important role of the monarchs in helping to maintain peace and security in the country.

He expressed delight at their visit, “given all that has happened recently in our country he promised to study them and take appropriate action.

EndSARS Protest: Buhari Thanks Traditional Rulers For Role Played To Calm Down The Situation

Editorial staff

November 5, 2020

He recognise the primary and important role of the monarchs in helping to maintain peace and security in the country.

He expressed delight at their visit, “given all that has happened recently in our country he promised to study them and take appropriate action.

President Buhari had earlier drawn the attention of the eminent delegation to the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic on the world.

“We find ourselves in very turbulent times, with a global health pandemic that has been incredibly challenging. Economies have been crippled as the response to the pandemic has forced businesses to shut down or devise new means of transacting. For a country like ours, with a large informal economy, our citizens have been particularly hit.”

He noted, however, that his administration has “designed various schemes and taken many measures to soften the impact, despite our own revenue struggles as government,” while recognizing that “more needs to be done to cater to our fellow citizens, not just those in the urban areas but also those in rural areas.”

According to President Buhari, “I am also fully aware that our strong farming belts have been impacted by floods. While we have seen record levels of farm outputs and increased level of fertilizer utilization, government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and its agencies is working on how to help bring these farmers some relief.”

Admitting the enormity of these challenges and “our growing youth population,” the President declared:

“There is no hiding place regarding how we should address insecurity concerns, youth unemployment, job creation, boosting industrialization and preparing for a transition into a digital economy.”

Remarks were made by the Sultan of Sokoto and the Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, while two foremost traditional rulers representing each geo-political zone also attended the meeting.

What A Donald Trump Win Will Mean For Nigeria, Africa

Editorial staff

November 5, 2020

Adopting an “America first” rhetoric, he has lashed out on the continent using racial descriptions and outrightly banning immigration from many countries on the continent including Nigeria.

Four years have passed since the United States of America President, Donald Trump, assumed office and that time, his foreign policy on Africa has been sparse.

Adopting an “America first” rhetoric, he has lashed out on the continent using racial descriptions and outrightly banning immigration from many countries on the continent including Nigeria.

Despite his actions and inactions towards Nigeria, he has continued to enjoy the support of some citizens in the country. In a last-minute strategy to show that he has the support of Nigerians, Trump on November 3 tweeted a short video hailing members of the Living Christ Mission Inc based in Onitsha, Anambra State, for staging a rally in support of his second term bid in office.

Members of the church headed by Most Reverend Professor Daddy Hezekiah held a prayer walk for the United States President and Republican Presidential Candidate on October 25, 2020, to canvass support for Trump.

Participants at the rally were clad in white and blue attire and carried placards bearing the name and face of Trump with some of them reading: “Trump 2020: Keep America Great” and “Donal J. Trump, America needs a man like you”.

Majority of the men and women sang in the Igbo language as they marched through parts of Onitsha that Sunday afternoon in solidarity with the US President.

Trump is currently struggling to get the required number of votes to remain President but if he wins, here is what to expect:

Low oil purchase

Trump is intent on keeping the American shale oil industry flourishing despite global climate concerns. He has used the development of the industry and creation of jobs that would come from that as a campaign promise to his base — if he is re-elected, he would work to keep that promise putting Nigeria at disadvantage.

America is one of the biggest buyers of the Nigerian Brent Crude.

Already, America’s crude oil purchase from Nigeria is dwindling. In August 2020, the US announced that it had slashed its imports of Nigerian crude oil to 9.37 million barrels in the first five months of this year, 11.67 million barrels lower than what it bought in the same period of 2019.

The highest monthly volume of Nigerian crude purchased by the North American country so far this year was 2.12 million barrels, compared to 11.78 million barrels in 2019.

Its purchases plunged by 63.03 per cent in the first quarter of 2020 to 5.53 million barrels, compared to the last quarter of 2019 when it bought 15.07 million barrels from Nigeria.

This trend is expected to continue especially since the American economy has been badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, costing Nigeria a large chunk of revenue which it uses to operate and survive.

Immigration

Trump’s stance on immigration from Nigeria is clear — he does not want it. He made his disdain for travel from the country clear when he placed Nigeria on a special watch list and as part of a “Muslim country” ban even though Nigeria is a secular state.

The list blocks immigration into America and limits the option of travel visas and time of stay for Nigerian citizens seeking to visit the US for short business trips or leisure. This is despite official US Government data showing that Nigerians in the country are the most educated and one of the most successful immigrant groups in the country.

Throughout Trump’s 2020 campaign, he mentioned no plan to repeal this move. Instead, he assured his base that he would do everything to ensure that it remains in place.

Nigerians can expect the ban and other stiffer measures extended if Trump is re-elected.

China-Africa relations

The US even before the Trump administration has made many attempts to check China’s growing influence on the African continent.

Trump determined to assert the country’s presence on the continent has continued to duel with China over business interests in Africa — warning African leaders of sister motives from the Asian nation.

To check this, Trump introduced the Prosper Africa programme aimed to at reversing Africa’s endearment to China by providing technical assistance for U.S. and African companies in order to double two-way trade and investment. It includes a special focus on transparent markets and private enterprise as the foundations of economic growth and job creation.

While this looks promising, studies by the Brookings Institute shows that its impact will probably not be strong enough to counterbalance China’s unique influence in the region.

China’s success in doing business on the continent has been driven by its high and diverse financial flows (a complex mix of concessional loans, grants, aid, market loans, etc.) to Africa, investment from China to Africa rose twofold between 2010 and 2016.

President Xi Jinping readily dishes out generous loans to African leaders including Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari and has promised to make available an additional $60 billion in broad and diverse financing—including $10 billion reserved for Chinese buying of African goods, as well as concessional loans, among other things.

While Xi has sent high-level delegations to Nigeria in the hopes of improving diplomatic ties, Trump is yet to visit any African country despite his elapsing four-year tenure.

While he tries to clip China’s wings in Africa to protect American business interests on the continent, it is not certain that he would make genuine efforts to connect with is African allies if re-elected

Healthcare

The Ebola outbreak in some African countries and the Coronavirus pandemic is key to understanding Trump’s foreign policy on healthcare in Africa.

When Ebola made a comeback in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018, Trump cut the $252 million in funding that was targeted at helping to stop the virus from spreading from DRC to other countries on the continent. The money was supposed to go towards equipping labs in counties including Nigeria, training, and purchase of critical medicine.

The move was highly criticised.

The Coronavirus pandemic provided an opportunity for Trump to redeem himself from the backlash that followed the funding cuts his predecessor, Obama had put in place.

Instead, Trump launched a tirade of attacks, on the World Health Organisation, which is coordinating the global response to the health crisis, stating that he would cut funding to the organisation which provides critical support to many African countries including Nigeria.

He has given a year’s notice of withdrawal from the world health body but is obliged to continue funding until July 2021; the pandemic is not expected to disappear until 2022.

The US is the highest contributor to the global health body.

He also verbally directed racial slurs at WHO boss, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian, for his handling of the virus.

Trump claimed without proof that the WHO Director-General was colluding with China to worsen the pandemic in the US and slow down his chances of re-election.

In an attempt to soften Trump’s blow, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said “no country will rival what the US is doing” in terms of supporting the fight against COVID-19 in Africa.

He pointed out that $170m (£134m) in new aid had gone towards stopping the spread of the virus in Africa.

It is, however, unclear if this gesture towards Africa will continue or if it would be withdrawn like the Ebola and WHO situations by Trump.

What A Joe Biden Win Will Mean For Nigeria, Africa

Editorial staff

November 5, 2020

(Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

The United States of America is in a race to pick its next President and expectedly many nations around the world are paying attention because of the superpower’s ability to influence foreign policy.

The election of Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, or re-election of the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, would greatly impact either negatively or positively the economy, security and growth of Nigeria.

Under Trump, Nigeria-America relations have been strained. In 2019, the President added Nigeria to a special watch list and a Muslim ban list, restricting travel and immigration from the most populous black nation in the world over terrorism concerns.

Trump’s administration has also openly antagonised Nigeria’s candidate for top global jobs – Akinwunmi Adesina of the Africa Development Bank was placed under investigation after a whistleblower alleged corruption, America backed his scrutiny despite the fact that he had been cleared by an independent panel.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the latest to suffer from America’s disapproval in vying for the top job at the World Trade Organisation.

Despite receiving the support of the European Union and many member states, the USA said it would support South Korea’s Trade Minister, Yoo Myung-hee, because Okonjo-Iweala lacked hands-on experience.

America is Nigeria’s top oil buyer — Nigeria depends on oil to run. With oil prices crashing globally, and the Coronavirus pandemic affecting its economy, America is reducing imports from Nigeria.

In August 2020, the US announced that it had slashed its imports of Nigerian crude oil to 9.37 million barrels in the first five months of this year, 11.67 million barrels lower than what it bought in the same period of 2019.

The highest monthly volume of Nigerian crude purchased by the North American country so far this year was 2.12 million barrels, compared to 11.78 million barrels in 2019.

Its purchases plunged by 63.03 per cent in the first quarter of 2020 to 5.53 million barrels, compared to the last quarter of 2019 when it bought 15.07 million barrels from Nigeria.

It is unclear if this will change under Biden as he plans to restore America to the Paris Climate accord exited by Trump which would see the country moving away from non-renewable sources of energy as part of efforts to reduce global carbon emissions.

A visit to Joe Biden’s website shows that his foreign policy strategy plans to change Trump’s stance on a lot of the issues.

Biden says he will renew, “the United States’ mutually respectful engagement towards Africa with a bold strategy that reaffirms our commitment to supporting democratic institutions on the continent; advancing lasting peace and security; promoting economic growth, trade, and investment; and supporting sustainable development.”

He plans to achieve this by, “Asserting America’s commitment to shared prosperity, peace and security, democracy, and governance as foundational principles of U.S.-Africa engagement.

“Restoring and reinvigorating diplomatic relations with African governments and regional institutions, including the African Union.

“Ensuring the U.S. Government and U.S. Foreign Service reflect the rich composition of the American citizenry, including African Diaspora professionals and

“Continuing the Young African Leaders Initiative and deepening America’s commitment to engage with Africa’s dynamic young leaders.”

On immigration, he said he would make America friendlier to immigrants in his first 100 days in office.

According to policy information provided on his campaign website, Biden said if elected as President of the United States of America, he will reverse the ban placed on countries such as Nigeria with predominantly Muslim population, which prevents them from immigrating to the US.

Recall that in February 2020, President Trump added Nigeria to a list of 13 nations facing stringent travel restrictions including Myanmar, Sudan, Kyrgyzstan, Eritrea, and Tanzania due to activities of extremist Islamic groups in the countries.

It bans citizens of these countries from moving to the United States through the diversity visa lottery, which grants green cards to as many as 50,000 people a year.

Biden, who is Trump’s biggest competition for the top job said he will, “end these policies, starting with Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols, and restore our asylum laws so that they do what they should be designed to do – protect people fleeing persecution and who cannot return home safely.

“Biden will dramatically increase U.S. Government resources to support migrants awaiting assessment of their asylum claims and to the organisations providing for their needs.

“The Trump administration’s anti-Muslim bias hurts our economy, betrays our values, and can serve as a powerful terrorist recruiting tool. Prohibiting Muslims from entering the country is morally wrong, and there is no intelligence or evidence that suggests it makes our nation more secure. It is yet another abuse of power by the Trump administration designed to target primarily black and brown immigrants. Biden will immediately rescind the “Muslim bans.”

He also vowed to protect “Dreamers” — undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children but have been productive members of society by going to school or doing the US military.

“Dreamers and their parents should have a roadmap to citizenship through legislative immigration reform. But in the meantime, Biden will remove the uncertainty for Dreamers by reinstating the DACA program, and he will explore all legal options to protect their families from inhumane separation. Biden will also ensure Dreamers are eligible for federal student aid (loans, Pell grants) and are included in his proposals to provide access to community college without debt and invest in HBCU/Hispanic Serving Institution/Minority Serving Institutions, which will help Dreamers contribute even more to our economy,” it adds.

As part of his plan for immigration, Biden said he would order an immediate review of Temporary Protected Status for vulnerable populations who cannot find safety in their countries ripped apart by violence or disaster.

He said the Trump Administration’s politically-motivated decisions to rescind protected status for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing countries impacted by war and natural disasters — without regard for current country conditions — is a recipe for disaster.

“Biden will protect TPS and Deferred Enforced Departure holders from being returned to countries that are unsafe. TPS/DED holders who have been in the country for an extended period of time and built lives in the U.S. will also be offered a path to citizenship through legislative immigration reform,” his website says.

The former US Vice President is also promising to reform the temporary visa system to eliminate limits on employment-based visas by country.

“High skilled temporary visas should not be used to disincentivize recruiting workers already in the U.S. for in-demand occupations. An immigration system that crowds out high-skilled workers in favour of only entry-level wages and skills threatens American innovation and competitiveness. Biden will work with congress to first reform temporary visas to establish a wage-based allocation process and establish enforcement mechanisms to ensure they are aligned with the labour market and not used to undermine wages. Then, Biden will support expanding the number of high-skilled visas and eliminating the limits on employment-based visas by country, which create unacceptably long backlogs,” according to his campaign organization.

Biden said will revisit the Diversity Visa Lottery which the Trump “set his sights on abolishing” to ensure that immigrants everywhere have the chance of becoming US citizens.”

His stance on the matter, “This is a program that brings up to 50,000 immigrants from underrepresented countries to the U.S. each year. He has disparaged the system as a “horror show” and repeatedly misrepresents how the lottery is administered while demonizing and insulting with racist overtones those who receive the visas. Diversity preferences are essential to preserving a robust and vibrant immigration system. As president, Biden will reaffirm our core values and preserve the critical role of diversity preferences to ensure immigrants everywhere have the chance to legally become U.S. citizens.”

Adding that he would defend the naturalisation process for green card holders, “A Biden administration will streamline and improve the naturalization process to make it more accessible to qualified green card holders. The Trump Administration has made it far too difficult for qualifying green card holders to obtain citizenship. Quite simply, this is wrong. Biden will restore faith in the citizenship process by removing roadblocks to naturalization and obtaining the right to vote, addressing the application backlog by prioritizing the adjudication work stream and ensuring applications are processed quickly, and rejecting the imposition of unreasonable fees.”

Joe Biden also said he will create a new visa category, allowing cities in the US, who are struggling with shrinking populations to apply for immigrants who can come and support the region’s economic development strategy.

Nigeria has been struggling to end the Boko Haram Insurgency. When Biden was Vice President of the US, he spearheaded a number of interventions to help stop the activities of the terror group.

Under the Barack Obama administration, the US offered the Goodluck Jonathan administration to help rescue the Chibok schoolgirls in the early days of their abduction — a gesture turned down by the Nigerian Government.

Many of the girls remain in captivity seven years on.

It is expected that Biden would try to continue some of Obama’s policies on global terrorism and offer to help Nigeria win the war against terror.

NNPC Resumes Oil Exploration, Drilling In Lake Chad Basin Soon – Minister

Editorial staff

November 5, 2020

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Silva, has said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will soon resume oil exploration and drilling in the Lake Chad Basin.

The minister, who spoke to journalists today, November 5, at the end of a meeting on Chad Basin with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai and other senior commanders of the force in Maiduguri, Borno State, said that the decision to commence exploration activities in the region is borne out of the successes so far recorded by the military in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents.

“The reason why we are here is to first and foremost thank the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army for the great job they have continued to perform in the North East.

“We believe that without their gallant activities here we in Abuja will not also be leaving safely, neither will we be leaving safely anywhere in the world.

“Having thanked them, we also want to commence exploration and drilling activities here because we believe that there is relative peace in this area enough for us to continue drilling activities in the North East.

“As you may well know, we have found oil in Gombe and we believe that there is a lot of oil to be found in the Chad Basin. We have seen a lot of prospects in Chad Basin and we want to commence exploration and drilling activities.

“That is why we are collaborating with Nigeria Army to ensure that security is provided for activities to commence very soon.”

The meeting was attended by the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari and other top management staff of the NNPC and the ministry.

Also in attendance were the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Farouk Yahaya, his Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) counterpart, Major General Yusuf Ibrahim and other top military officers.

Oil exploration in the Chad Basin was suspended on July 25, 2017, after a team of NNPC Frontier Exploration Services and their consultants from the University of Maiduguri were abducted by suspected Boko Haram fighters.

You Stifle Our Business, Airline Operators Accuse Minister; Blame Yourselves – Minister

Editorial staff

November 4, 2020

Minister of state for aviation, Hadi Sirika

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and local airline operators under the aegis of Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON) are at each other’s neck.

While the operators are accusing the minister of stifling the business, the minister has asked them tto stop pointing fingers of scorn at his Ministry and relevant aviation regulatory agencies for the unsavoury operating environment and decline in profit.

Senator Sirika, who spoke today, November 4 at public hearing of the House of Representatives, reacted vehemently to claim of unfavourable business environment raised by Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of Overland Airways, Captain Edward Boyo, who accused the Aviation regulatory agency, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Agency, NCAA of what he called “exorbitant service charges.

He said that undue taxation by NCAA in connivance with the Ministry of Aviation was responsible for high aviation fare while the agency was indifferent to standard and efficiency even as he complained that the local airlines are victims of obsolete legislation.

He sought for protection of the parliament through positive legislation to prevent local airlines operators from going into extinction.

“The AON are victims of a hostile environment, because of legislation that are obsolete and therefore useless.

“The Senate should ask, why are airlines dying in Nigeria? It is good that we are amending the laws with the hope that it will help the common man.

“The local operators are being demonised as not remitting charges. What we should ask is, what is the efficiency of these agencies taking the charges, translating to high cost for travellers? The airlines are dying and very soon there will be no airlines left. The operating environment is hostile.”

Responding, Hadi Sirika attributed the decline in fortune of the indigenous airline operators to poor capital outlay, business plans and governance structure, adding: “the airports must be run for profit, not charity.

“To explain why the airlines are failing are business plans and failure of their CEOs, you don’t blame their inefficiency on us.

“They should look at their business plans. For those that have gone into extinction, check the ownership structure and business plans.

“It is not debatable. They should be critical with business plans, governance structures and capital outlay

“Ask them about the maintenance plans for their aircraft. Most of them miss it from the business plan and governance structure, I don’t want to mention their names.”

The minister, who said that some of the taxes being complained about were the product of legislations and beyond his Ministry and NCAA,assured that his Ministry is committed to the growth of the industry.

“Nigeria encourages entrepreneurship, it is the biggest market in Africa and certainly aviation must thrive and the only way it can thrive is to have the best legislation in place.”

The Aviation Minister cautioned the airlines’ operators to be careful with their sources of fund which he maintained could be an inhibition to their growth and sustainability in the sector.

Court Orders Kogi To Pay Ex Deputy Gov, Achuba, N180 Million Within 30 Days

Editorial staff

November 4, 2020

The National Industrial Court has ordered Kogi State Government to pay the former deputy governor, Simon Achuba, the sum of N180 million.

Justice Oyebiola Oyewunmi, who read the judgment today, November 4, said that the state government must pay the amount within the period of 30 days or 30 per cent interest would be paid monthly.

He said that the amount represents Achuba’s outstanding security votes from April 2018 to August 2019.

The court, however, dismissed Achuba’s prayers for the sum of N328 million and N32,000 be paid as part of impress when he was in government.

Achuba was impeached in October 2019 by members of the Kogi State House of Assembly.

His impeachment followed the submission of a report of the committee set up by the state chief judge, Justice Nasir Ajanah to investigate an allegation of gross misconduct against him.

Achuba was subsequently replaced as deputy governor, by Edward Onoja.

The ex-deputy governor dragged the state government to court, seeking a declaration that the decision of the government to withhold his allowances amounted to unfair labour practice.

He asked for the sum of N921,572,758 for security vote, monthly impress, travelling allowances, outstanding memos, and statutory allocations due to his office, as then deputy governor.

Cost Of Governance In Nigeria Too High, Unsustainable – Revenue Mobilization Boss

Editorial staff

November 4, 2020

Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Engineer Elias Mbam, has said that the cost of running government in Nigeria is on a high side and is being reviewed.

Professor Mbam, who spoke today, November 4 when he appeared before the Committee of the Federal House Representatives Committee on Finance, said the commission has started the process of reviewing the existing Revenue Allocation Formula.

“The cost of governance in Nigeria is very high and has continued to be on the increase and this is clearly unsustainable as no country can develop with such a high level of recurrent expenditure.

“Some of the reasons responsible for this include duplication of Agencies of Government with virtually similar functions and responsibilities, corruption, unlimited number of political appointments, wasteful spending; ghost workers syndrome, etc.

“Recommendations to ensure cost reduction include avoiding unnecessary duplications of agencies with similar functions, reduction in number of political appointees to the barest minimum as recommended in the commission’s remuneration package, strict compliance with approved remuneration packages of office holders, and ensuring prudent spending of government funds.”

He complained about the management and operation of special funds like Stabilization Fund, Ecological Fund and Development of Natural Resources Fund for their respective purposes have been a source of concern to the commission because of the absence of an all-embracing management structures to manage the funds.

He said that sometimes, these funds are applied outside the objective of their establishment, saying: “the commission wishes to state that these funds are supposed to be kept in trust by the Federal Government on behalf of the Federation.”

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